HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)

The Anzac class originated from RAN plans to replace the six River-class destroyer escorts with a mid-capability patrol frigate. Tenders were requested by the Anzac Ship Project at the end of 1986, with 12 ship designs (including an airship) submitted. By August 1987, the tenders were narrowed down in October to Blohm + Voss's MEKO 200 design, the M class (later Karel Doorman class) offered by Royal Schelde, and a scaled-down Type 23 frigate proposed by Yarrow Shipbuilders. In 1989, the Australian government announced that Melbourne-based shipbuilder AMECON (which became Tenix Defence) would build the modified MEKO 200 design. The Anzacs are based on Blohm + Voss' MEKO 200 PN (or Vasco da Gama class) frigates, modified to meet Australian and New Zealand specifications and maximise the use of locally built equipment. Each frigate has a full load displacement. The ships are long at the waterline, and long overall, with a beam of , and a full load draught of . The standard ship's company of an Anzac consists of 22 officers and 141 sailors. They were also designed for but not with a Mark 15 Phalanx close-in weapons system (two Mini Typhoons fitted when required from 2005 onwards), two quad-canister Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers (which were installed across the RAN vessels from 2005 onwards), and a second 8-cell Mark 41 VLS (which has not been added). The Australian Anzacs used a single Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter; plans to replace them with Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprites were cancelled in 2008 due to ongoing problems. Instead, the S-70B-2 was replaced with the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk by late 2017. Arunta was laid down at Williamstown, Victoria on 22 July 1995. ==Operational history==

In 2000, Arunta conducted a North East Asian deployment including Exercise RIMPAC based in Hawaii. During a port visit to Suva, Fiji at the beginning of the deployment, crew members using fireworks from hotel balconies inadvertently set in motion the 2000 Fijian coup d'état which went into full motion the following day, after Arunta had sailed from port. During an interview from prison in 2015, George Speight, who led the coup, was quoted as saying: "Those dopey sailors nearly ruined everything. The only reason we didn't hit Uncle Frank that night was because he was drinking with them at the naval base. When the fireworks went off my crew thought it was the signal to move on parliament and the military leadership but they couldn't find anyone. From that point we just had to commit but be careful not to involve the Australian Navy." In September 2001, Arunta deployed to northern Australian waters in the wake of the Tampa affair. The ship participated in Operation Gaberdine and Operation Relex in two separate deployments. During the second deployment Arunta was involved in the interception and/or return of Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEV) 6, 7, and 9. In 2002, Arunta saw active service for the first time when she participated as part of the third rotation of RAN ships to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Slipper. The ship's boarding parties effected 377 boardings during her four months on station. On 12 November 2007, Arunta deployed for her second tour of active service in the Persian Gulf, as part of Operation Catalyst. The ship returned from this deployment on 11 May 2008. On 19 December 2008, Arunta was dispatched from Fremantle to rescue injured yachtsman Yann Elies, who was participating in the Vendée Globe, a solo round-the-world yacht race. Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system, completed in March 2010, Arunta was retroactively awarded the honour "Persian Gulf 2001–02". In June 2014, modifications to Arunta as part of the Anti-Ship Missile Defence Project upgrade were completed. Arunta was the second ship of the class to be upgraded, with the installation of a CEAFAR Phased Array Radar and an upgraded SAAB Combat Management System, among other modifications, during an 18-month refit. During November 2020 the ship took part in efforts to enforce sanctions against North Korea as part of Operation Argos. In early 2021 Aruntas crew were transferred to in order to reactivate that frigate after it had been out of service for a lengthy period. ==Citations==